Award-winning Breastival to return to Derry this summer

Breastival, a festival which celebrates and normalises breastfeeding will return for it’s sixth year on August 1-7.
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Breastival will host a series of events providing support and information to breastfeeding parents and their families across the north. The week-long festival coincides with World Breastfeeding Week and includes talks, workshops and fun activities for families to get involved in, both in-person and online.

Breastival Coordinator, Catherine Muldoon said: “Breastival is a beautiful celebration of breastfeeding. Getting this community of women together is our way of helping to build confidence in choosing breastfeeding, breaking down barriers and removing the stigma around feeding and helping to reduce the isolation new mothers often feel as they adjust to life with a new baby.

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“Following the success of last year’s virtual festival, it is wonderful to bring more events back in-person this year, allowing for that social interaction and connection that has been missed over the past two years.”

Through panel discussions, webinars and a host of other activities, Breastival seeks to normalise breastfeeding and support families on their breastfeeding journey from pregnancy to birth, early days and beyond.

The festival will host a virtual screening of award-winning documentary ‘Birth Time’ on 5 August. ‘Birth Time’ follows three women as they seek to find out why an increasing number of women emerge from their births physically and emotionally traumatised. The women’s discoveries cause them to forge a movement that hopes to change maternity care in Australia and across the developed world.

Breastival will host an in-person ‘Big Latch On’, taking place on Saturday 6 August in St Columb’s Park. Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy will launch the event. This in-person family-friendly outdoor event will feature fun activities for babies, toddlers and young children, information stands and provide a space for mothers and families to meet up and feed their babies together. The goal is to empower women to feed for as long as they choose and create connections with the wider community there to support them.

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Breastival Founder, Jennifer Hanratty said: “This year’s World Breastfeeding Week theme is ‘Step Up for Breastfeeding’, and I am so proud Breastival continues to advocate for and support women to meet their own goals around breastfeeding while having fun and enjoying each other’s company. It’s wonderful to be back in-person and we hope many more women and families across Northern Ireland join us in celebrating the precious gift of human milk.

Jennifer Hanratty, Breastival Founder.Jennifer Hanratty, Breastival Founder.
Jennifer Hanratty, Breastival Founder.

“While breastfeeding rates in Northern Ireland have improved in recent years we still have a long way to go. Women’s choices are undermined by aggressive marketing of formula and our culture where most families aren’t familiar with breastfeeding and how to support women that want to breastfeed. Events like ours are so important to allow mothers to feel empowered in their choices, to access support, feed their babies and interact with one another in a safe environment, free of judgement. We would encourage extended family, friends and supporters to join us to ‘step up’ to support breastfeeding.”

The full programme and tickets for all events, most of which are free to attend, can be found on www.breastival.co.uk.